Guard for electric-railway trolleys



(No Model.)

A. W. MITCHELL. GUARD FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAY TROLLEYS.

No. 449,490. Patented Mar. 31,1891.

Illllllll R UNITED STATES PATENT Ormcn.

ANDREW W. MITCHELL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

GUARD FOR ELECTRIC-RAILWAY TROLLEYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,490, dated March 31, 1891.

Application filed December 1, 1890. $erial No 373,216. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ANDREW W. MITCHELL, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards for Electric-Railway Trolleys, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in guards for electric-railway trolleys for which I have made application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed June 23, 1890, Serial No. 356,425; and the invention consists of a trolley-wheel for an electric-railway car provided with means to prevent the accidental detachment of the trolley-wheel from the electric wire, of the construction and arrangement of parts for the operation of the same, all substantially as hereinafter fully described, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which is fully illustrated the present invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of a trolley-wheel supported on the end of the rod, which is usually attached to the car made in accordance with the invention described in said application and having the present improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 isa front view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail side view and sectional view of the parts enlarged.

In the drawings, A represents the upper end of a rod for a trolley-wheel B of an electric-railway car, the rod being connected to the car in the usual manner and needing no more particular description herein. This rod at its upper end is bifurcated, and between its two arms 0 and D is placed the trolleywheel 13, arranged to turn on the journal-pin a, secured in the two arms,'and outside of each arm is a flat arm or piece E, each pivoted to the journal-pin a and each extending upward and nearly to the top of the wheel, the upper part of each arm having a flange F, extending toward the otherover the wheel at right angles thereto and both in the same horizontal plane, but so that their contiguous edges 1) will not meet, leaving a space or opening G between the two, as shown in the draw- 7 ings, the flanges preventing the wheel from with the wheel, through which the edge or rim Hof the wheel projects a short distance above the flange, but not shown in the drawings. Each flange-arm extends down from its pivot and has a curved slot J in such extension, but which slots run in reverse directions, and each slot engages with a pin (Z, se-

cured in a separate flat upright piece K out-v side of the flan ge-arm and connected together at their lower ends bya cross-bar L. In each of these outer pieces K is a vertical longitudinal slot M, arranged over the journal-pin a, which projects through it, and over Whichthe pieces K can freely move up and down.

So far the parts described are in the application referred to, and in the use of the trolley vheel the electric wire is inserted between the flanges F and the groove T of the wheel by pulling down upon the cross-bar L, to which the usual rope of the trolley-rod is attached, which pulls down the outer arms K against springs arranged in proper position therefor, and in such downward movement their pins d through the curved slots swing the flange-arms E on their pivots in contrary directions, moving the flanges F. from each other, so as to leave an enlarged space between them sufficiently wide for them to pass freely over the wire, when by proper manipulation of the rope the wheel is placed against the wire, as usual. The ropeis then loosened, which lets the springs force up the arms K to their normal positions, and in such upward movements their pins (1 act upon the curved slots of the flange-arms E and swing them back and their flanges opposite to each other across the wheel over the wire. If desirous of removing the wheel at any place along the wire, by pulling down the rope the flangearms will be swung upon the journal-pin in opposite directions, as before described, for the flanges to be at opposite sides and separate from each other, when the wheel can be disconnected'easily from the wire, it being replaced as before described.

In the application above referred to, the usual rope of the trolley-rod is attached to the trolley-rod cross-bar L, the pulling down of which operates the flange-arms; but as in practical operation this is somewhat objectionable, it being apt to pull the parts more or less to one side, interfering with the elec tric wire, such objection is overcome by the present invention, whereby the arms K are always kept straight, or substantially vertical, no matter from What direction the pull is made upon them, so that the arms are always in proper position in relation to the electric wire for the right action of the parts for the best practical working of the device at all times, as will be now described.

Pivoted between two cars f on the trolleyrod at g is a lever N, which extends forward and between the two arms 0 D of the rod, and resting by its notched edge h upon the projection m, having a sharp edge 0" of the crossbar L, the outer end of the lever having an eye 01., to which is secured the rope P. The cross -bar L has projecting at each end a tongue 15, which is disposed in a vertical longitudinal slit to in another set of vertical arms Q, outside of the arms K, and pivoted on the j ournal-pin a, and connected together at their lower ends by a cross-bar R.

Projecting downward from the middle of the cross-bar L is a rod S, which passes through an opening in the cross-bar R and extends down into a short tube T, secured to the cross-bar R, which tube is preferably closed at its lower end. Vithin this tube is a spiral spring U, its lower end resting on the bottom of the tube and bearing against the lower end of the rod S, which serves to hold the rod and other parts up in their normal position, the upward movements being limited by the abutment of the bar against the upper ends of the slots u. The lever-arm N has a spring V secured to its pivot, one arm of which bears against the lower end of the lever 12, and the other ina socket or shoulder w in the trolley-rod, to serve by its tension to keep the lever always in contact with the bar L.

Pulling down upon the rope P pulls the lever down and through it the slotted arms carrying the pin d, which, through the curved slots J in the flange-arms E, moves them, as described, to one side into positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 when desirous of removing the trolley from the electric wire, as described in said application. Letting the rope be free the spring U acts to return all parts to their normal positions.

The ratchet-teeth on the lever insures its engagement with the point or sharp-edge projection m on the cross-bar L at all times, whatever the angle of the trolley-rod is in relation to the electric wire.

The journal-pin a has a cross-pin y on its outer ends which secures all parts together, but leaves them free to move as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with a trolley-wheel and two arms, a cross-bar connecting the arms together, each arm having a curved slot and a flange extending over the wheel, an arm at its side having a pin engaging with said curved slot, and a slot engaging with the j ournal-pin of the trolley-wheel, of a lever pivoted to the trolley-rod and engaging with the crossbar of the flange-arms, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the trolley-wheel and two arms, each having a curved slot and a flange extending over the wheel, an arm Q at its side pivoted to the journal-pin having a pin engaging with said curved slot, and a slot engaging with the journal-pin of the trolley-wheel, of a lever pivoted to the trolleyrod, a cross-bar on the flange-arms, provided with a downwardly-projecting pin, a crossbar R on the arms Q, providedwith a socket for said pin, and a spring, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a trolley-wheel and two arms, a cross-bar connecting the arms together, each arm having a curved slot and a flange extending over the wheel, an arm Q at its side having a pin engaging with said curved slot, and a slot engaging with the jour nal-pin of the trolley-whee], of alever pivoted to the trolley-rod, provided with ratchet-teeth on its under side, the cross-bar on the flangearms, having a sharp edge 0" for engagement with the ratchet-teeth, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW NV. MITCHELL.

WVitnesses:

EDWIN W. BROWN, CARRIE E. NICHOLS. 

